The moment they stepped into the Three Sisters sub-region, Gawain felt a violent gust of wind from above. A colossal silhouette plummeted from the sky, and Adula, the Glintstone Dragon, landed heavily, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
Gawain stared at the dragon with a sour expression. This beast had left a particularly foul impression on him in the game. During his first playthrough, he didn't mind the initial encounter at the Three Sisters since they were strangers. But later, after he had obtained the Dark Moon Ring and was on his way to the wedding, this dragon had guarded the Cathedral's entrance and slaughtered him three times—three times!
However, considering Adula was a knight formally knighted by Ranni, Gawain held back his irritation. I'll just send Agheel to bite you later.
Blaidd, also choked by the dust, coughed twice and spoke with a hint of helplessness. "Adula, didn't I tell you beforehand that Mistress Ranni invited an important guest? Show some restraint."
Adula shook its massive wings. Its giant head drew close to the stranger, sniffing carefully. Then, lowering its head further, it spoke in a rumbling, human tongue.
"I sense the aura of kin upon you. More than one, in fact. I trust you are not one of those detestable practitioners of Dragon Communion?"
"You mean those who hunt drakes and devour their hearts until they lose their very humanity?" Gawainreplied. "I have no interest in that. Or rather, the power I possess is far more advanced than mere Dragon Communion."
Gawain looked down on those who lost their human form to dragonization. He, after all, possessed the power of the Twinkling Dragon Head Stone.
"But I admit, the scent of kin you smell is real," he continued. "I have a drake under my command. Her situation is similar to yours; I gave her a thrall-beating, and she swore fealty to me."
Adula's dragon face shifted into a look of skepticism. This man's intelligence work was terrifyingly thorough if he knew the details of Adula's own history. But what was a drake to do? Though its body had been slain by the Rune of Death, leaving its power diminished, Mistress Ranni was still a demigod who held a Great Rune back then. That wasn't something a mere drake could challenge. Serving under her was no mark of shame for a dragon.
Gawain added, "There was also one I met in Caelid. I saw that she had been ravaged by the Scarlet Rot beyond recovery, so I granted her a mercy."
Adula offered no further comment. It had confirmed that while the man possessed a dense draconic power, he was fundamentally different from a Dragon Communion heart-eater. Though it didn't understand the specifics, it would not pry. In the eyes of dragons, aside from Dragon Communion—the enemy of their race—the death of kin was simply a matter of misfortune.
"In that case, I have nothing more to ask. Princess Ranni holds high expectations for you. I hope you do not betray her trust."
Gawain didn't give a direct promise. He knew that in the Lands Between, such vows were the cheapest of currencies. "I can only say I will do my best. At the very least, our desires do not fundamentally conflict. Helping one another is the best path for us both."
Adula acknowledged this with a beat of its wings. It took to the sky and vanished into a shimmer of blue light, returning to its hidden vigil against all threats.
Gawain watched the spot where it disappeared, feeling a touch of envy. Once a drake recognized a master, its loyalty was indeed absolute. His own drake was likely the same. Wait, no... The thought of Agheel spending all day sprawled across the roof of some random building made him realize his own dragon was a bit of a slacker by comparison.
With that interlude finished, the path was finally clear. Led by Blaidd, Gawain walked toward the familiar Ranni's Rise. After so much time, he was finally going to meet the mistress of the manor in person.
Blaidd escorted him to the ground floor but did not follow him further. He needed to summon the other members of the team for a meeting and make preparations. Furthermore, as a Shadow, he was now consciously maintaining a distance from Ranni. Deep in his heart, he feared the day he might lose control.
Gawain took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement, and stepped onto the lift. He slowly ascended the stairs. Was it his imagination, or did he hear a faint sound from above?
Passing the final flight of stairs, he reached the highest level of the tower. He turned and saw that familiar blue figure.
It's you, the four-armed blue monster! No, wait... the Lunar Princess, Ranni.
She maintained her usual elegant posture, appearing as though she had just awakened from a slumber. She sat upon her stone throne, her eye level a head higher than Gawain's as she looked down at her guest. Gawain caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye—yes, she was sitting on at least five books.
"Even in sleep, I felt your arrival. We finally meet officially, Storm King of Stormveil. It seems this was indeed the choice of fate.
"Allow me to introduce myself formally. I am Ranni. Lunar Witch, legitimate Princess of the Carian Royal Family, daughter of Queen Rennala of the Full Moon, and the mastermind behind the Night of the Black Knives."
"And I... forget it. I don't remember many titles. I only know you are Ranni, my ally. That is enough."
Both faces hidden beneath Ranni's massive witch's hat curled into a slight smile. This man's words were, at times, quite entertaining.
"The festival was fought beautifully," she said. "Seeing my brother's Great Rune reignited within you puts my mind at ease. Now that the stars move once more, the path to the Eternal City of Nokron shall be revealed to the light of day."
"Indeed. Shortly after the stars resumed their course, a meteor struck near Fort Haight, carving a deep crater. Silver Tears have already begun emerging from within. I believe that is the entrance we've been looking for."
"Splendid. Then the lost city of Nokron is within our reach. I can see that you, too, have no desire to follow the preordained fate set by the Fingers. Let us find the lost treasure of Nokron together; it is the key to defying the Two Fingers."
Gawain noted her use of the word "us," but before he could dwell on it, Ranni stood up from her chair and floated toward the ground. With a wave of her hand, a ripple resembling a portal appeared.
"Follow me. Claim the reward you have earned."
He followed her without hesitation, passing through the ripple into a basement-like space. From the decor, it was clearly still within Caria Manor. Ranni walked forward and stood beside an exquisite chest, gesturing for Gawain to take her gift.
Gawain opened the chest. The mere touch of the lid revealed a high purity of magic within—the concentration far exceeded that of ordinary glintstone. Inside lay a refined longsword: the legendary Sword of Night and Flame, once known to players as the "Sword of Broken and OP" before its nerfs.
The blade shimmered with a faint blue light, seemingly imbued with infinite sorcery and mystery. The hilt was primarily gold and red, decorated with intricate patterns that complemented the blade. The entire weapon radiated a soft glow that was impossible to ignore.
The blade itself wasn't exceptionally sharp—comparable to a ceremonial sword—but this weapon wasn't designed for simple hacking. The hollowed center was partially set with glintstone, while the other half remained an open channel.
"This is the Sword of Night and Flame," Ranni explained, her eyes softening with nostalgia as she looked at the well-maintained weapon. "Like its name suggests, it wields both the power of glintstone and flame.
"In the distant past, the astrologers—the ancestors of glintstone sorcerers—lived on the highest mountain peaks, nearest the sky. There, they were neighbors to the Fire Giants. This sword was once gifted to allies as a symbol of friendship; the fates of the astrologers and the giants were once bound together, much like Queen Rennala and the red-haired Radagon later were.
"I give it to you now as a symbol of our friendship and alliance. Regardless of what follows, I thank you for the help you rendered to my brother and to Caelid."
Drawing the sword from the chest, Gawain felt it unconsciously absorbing his power. "May I test it?"
"By all means. It is yours. Just try not to bring the basement down."
He gave the exquisite weapon a few practice swings. In the game's launch version, its strength was absurd, and even after nerfs, it remained top-tier. From the weight and feel, this weapon truly deserved its "Legendary" title.
He funneled his strength into the sword to activate the glintstone. With a sharp horizontal slash, a localized torrent of blue Comet Azur-like energy erupted from the blade. Unlike the game's fixed burst, he found he could actively control the intensity and duration, so he kept the output low.
Then, he focused on the "empty" half of the channel. This half was supposed to release fire, but instead, it erupted with a brilliant, warm golden light. A wave of energy, strikingly similar to Wrath of Gold, expanded from the sword.
Gawain was confused. Wasn't it supposed to be the Fire Giant's flame? Why was it golden? Seeing his confusion, Ranni explained.
"As you can see, half the sword carries the power of the glintstone sorcerers. Originally, the other half held the Fire Giant's flame, but that is a thing of the past.
"I had Iji modify it. Now, the other half reflects your own innate power, amplifying and releasing it. That golden light... it seems that is the color of your power now. Though it looks similar, it is fundamentally different from the Erdtree's gold. Fascinating."
Gawain finally understood why the skill was golden. His power was a complex blend: the Soul of Cinder's embers, the blessing of the Sun God, the dark curse, and even a trace of the Gloam-Eye's power from his bond with Melina. Since the Sun's color was his most natural output, it wasn't surprising the sword reflected it.
Iji truly is a genius, Gawain thought. Being a Giant himself, Iji understood the Sword of Night and Flame better than anyone. Now, Gawain had a weapon where half was fixed as sorcery, and the other half could be whatever he willed it to be.
"I love this weapon. Thanks. I owe you one."
Ranni offered a satisfied smile. This wasn't the only thing she had prepared.
"Take your time with that weapon later. Everything else in this basement belongs to you as well. If you have need of anything, do not hesitate to take it."
The items here were remnants from the war era. Ranni had no use for them now and was happy to give them away as a gesture of goodwill. Her only goal now was the hidden treasure of the Eternal City.
Gawain stowed the sword, thinking it was his greatest prize, but he had underestimated the hoard. The supplies in this basement were diverse. Most valuable to him were the staggering number of Smithing Stones.
No wonder Iji could sell infinite Somber stones in the game—he had a whole warehouse! Here were regular Smithing Stones from rank 1 to 8. Ranks 4 to 6 were the most numerous, while 7s and 8s were scarcer—enough to fully reinforce only a few weapons.
This was the accumulated wealth of the Carian Royal Family from their time ruling the Academy and Liurnia. Glintstone mines often yielded Smithing Stones as byproducts of mining crystals, and they had dedicated smithing stone tunnels as well.
Furthermore, there were stones not native to the lake. During Radahn and Rykard's campaigns on the Altus Plateau, their armies had seized local mines and storehouses. Consequently, even high-tier stones only found on the plateau were stockpiled here.
Gawain did a quick tally. In Stormveil, he had a warehouse full of ranks 1 through 4, but higher tiers were nearly non-existent. These 4s, 5s, and 6s were a perfect supplement. Not only could he upgrade his own arsenal, but he could also enhance the equipment of his elite Storm Knights.
As for Somber Smithing Stones, they were far rarer than the regular ones. In the mines, it took a long time to find even one. But the hoard here was enough to upgrade several of his preferred "special" weapons to +6. Since he only used a few primary weapons, this was more than enough.
Beyond the stones, there were piles of Liurnia-style glintstones, Carian Royal weapons, and—to his delight—Sorcery Scrolls and Prayer Books. Master Sellen had spent a long time writing basic curriculum, but here was a massive ready-made library. He could take these back for his subordinates to study.
The collection included common sorceries like Carian Retaliation and Carian Phalanx. The Royal Family had mastered everything the Academy had before Rennala's fall. There were also items "scavenged" from other factions: incantation books of the Erdtree, including classics like Golden Vow and Blessing's Bounty, which were usually only found on the Altus Plateau. Perhaps Radahn had brought them back from the Capital? There was even a Dragon Cult prayer book.
Gawain was reaping a massive harvest, filling nearly every gap in his current arsenal. Is this what it feels like to have a Royal Princess as a benefactor? The sudden windfall made him a bit dizzy.
No, I can't let these "sugar-coated bullets" distract me. If I don't work hard, I'll just end up as a rich lady's toy. He was the King of Stormveil now; he had to keep his dignity.
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he clenched his fist and offered a bright smile.
"Ranni, you know... I've actually been a member of the Dark Moon Knights all along."
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